From: Doug Orleans <dougo AT ccs.neu.edu>
Subject: Top 20 of 1996
Date: Wed, 12 Feb 1997 22:33:42 -0500 (EST)

Each group below is in roughly descending order, but the order could
change pretty easily depending on my mood (except for the Top 5 or so).

Top 20:
-------
All of these make me say "wow" and fill me with a sense of inner peace.

Jessamine, _The Long Arm of Coincidence_ (Kranky)
Weezer, _Pinkerton_ (DGC)
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, _I Hope It Lands_ (Communion) -- late 1995
Rachel's, _The Sea and the Bells_ (Quarterstick)
Fathoms, the, _Fathomless_ (Atomic Beat)
Karp, "We Ate Sand" b/w "Bastard of Disguise" 7" (K)
Magic Hour, _Secession 96_ (Twisted Village)
For Carnation, the, _Marshmallows_ EP (Matador)
Guerrero, "San Quentin" + 2 7" (Steve's Mediocre Label)
Neil Young, _Dead Man_ (Vapor/Reprise)
Analogue, _AAD_ (Sonic Bubblegum)
Rachel's, _Music for Egon Schiele_ (Quarterstick)
Bardo Pond, _Amanita_ (Matador)
Versus, _Secret Swingers_ (Caroline/Teenbeat)
Eric's Trip, _Purple Blue_ (Sub Pop)
Guv'ner, _The Hunt_ (Merge)
Overwhelming Colorfast, _Moonlight and Castanets_ (Headhunter/Cargo)
Spatula, _Medium Planers and Matchers_ (Jesus Christ)
Swirlies, _They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days in the Glittering World of the Salons_ (Taang!)
Beak, _Autoselfreplicationalism_ (Insignificant)

Honorable Mentions:
-------------------
These are all "wow" records too, but I had to draw the line somewhere.
If it were Top 50, they'd all be in there...

Henry's Dress, _Bust 'em Green_ (Slumberland)
Various Artists, _Treble Revolution volume 2_ (Kindercore/Drug Racer)
Juneau, _Space is Hot_ LP (Spooky Tree)
Les Thugs, _Strike_ (Sub Pop) -- late 1995
Gastr Del Sol, _Upgrade & Afterlife_ (Drag City)
Bowery Electric, _Beat_ (Kranky)
Henry's Dress/Rocketship split 7" (I Wish I Was A Slumberland Record)
Tugboat Annie, "Posterboy" b/w "Competition for Scarce Resources" 7" (Sonic Bubblegum)
Bedhead, _Beheaded_ (Trance Syndicate)
Various Artists, _Harmony of the Spheres_ 3xLP (Drunken Fish)
Unwound/Steel Pole Bathtub split 7" (Honeybear) -- 1995?
Panel Donor, _Lobedom & Global_ (Lotuspool)
Sun City Girls, _330,003 Crossdressers from Beyond the Rig Veda_ (Abduction)
Wormdoom, _Last Days Boogie_ (Twisted Village) -- 1995?
Makers, the, _The Makers_ LP (Estrus) -- late 1995
Part, Arvo, _Litany_ (ECM)
Various Artists, _Cowabunga!_ 4CD box set (Rykodisc)
Turkish Delight, _Tommy Bell_ (Castle von Buhler)
Count Backwurds, the, "Rip it up" b/w "Are you a Boy? (or are you a girl)" 7" (Sumppi Werthimer)
Labradford, _Labradford_ (Kranky)
Various Artists, _Tube: Atlantic Surf Essentials_ (Cherrydisc)
Sonora Pine, the, _The Sonora Pine_ (Quarterstick)
A Minor Forest, _Flemish Altruism (Constituent Parts 1993-1996)_ (Touch & Go)
Branca, Glenn, _Songs '77-'79_ (Atavistic)
Pee, "Little Elpee" 7" (March)
Wrens, the, _Secaucus_ (Grass/BMG)

Underachievers (i.e. their other records are better) but still really good:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This group is slightly out of sequence (some belong in the Honorable
Mention section, some belong in the Also Recommended section), but it
seemed to make sense to put them together in one category.

Jesus Lizard, the, _Shot_ (Capitol)
Melvins, _Stag_ (Atlantic/Mammoth)
Unwound, _Repetition_ (Kill Rock Stars)
Polvo, _Exploded Drawing_ (Touch & Go)
Stereolab, _Emperor Tomato Ketchup_ (Elektra)
Girls Against Boys, _House of GVSB_ (Touch & Go)
Versus, _Deep Red_ (Teenbeat)
Arcwelder, _Entropy_ (Touch & Go)
Dis-, _The Historically Troubled Third Album_ (Sonic Bubblegum)
Come, _Near Life Experience_ (Matador)
Archers of Loaf, _All the Nation's Airports_ (Alias/Elektra)
Six Finger Satellite, _Paranormalized_ (Sub Pop)
Pitchblende, _Gygax!_ (Headhunter/Cargo) -- late 1995
Sone, _Holiday and Sport_ (Darla)
Meices, _Dirty Bird_ (London)
Rush, _Test For Echo_ (Anthem/Atlantic)

Also Recommended:
-----------------
All of these records appeal to me in some way or another, but are
slightly less than perfect.

Pee, _Now, More Charm and More Tender_ (March)
Village of Savoonga, _Philipp Schatz_ (Hausmusik/Collaps/Communion)
Cardigans, the, _Life_ (Minty Fresh/Stockholm)
Mermen, _Songs of the Cows_ (Mesa/Bluemoon)
Various Artists, _Macro Dub Infection - Volume 2_ (Gyroscope/Caroline/Virgin)
Mojave 3, _Ask Me Tomorrow_ (4AD/Warner)
Stinking Lizaveta, _...hopelessness and shame._ (Compulsiv/Southern)
A Minor Forest, "So, Were They In Some Sort of a Fight?" b/w "Fatal Wound" 7" (Dustbowl)
Various Artists, _The Lounge Ax Defense & Relocation Compact Disc_ (Touch & Go)
Squirrel Nut Zippers, _Hot_ (Mammoth)
A Minor Forest/Gainer split 7" (Divot)
Various Artists, _Audible Rumbles vol. 1_ (Ptolemaic Terrascope)
Galaxie 500, _Galaxie 500_ 4CD box set (Rykodisc)

Neat idea, but not quite listenable:
------------------------------------
Various Artists, _State of the Union_ 2CD (Atavistic)

I don't quite get it, but I haven't sold them yet:
--------------------------------------------------
Universal Order of Armageddon, _Universal Order of Armageddon_ (Kill Rock Stars)
Double U, the, _Absurd Fjord_ (Communion)

Older stuff:
------------
These are records I discovered this year that would go in any
top-whatever list I'd care to make.  Many of them spent several dozen
turns in the player.  Highly recommended.

Crystallized Movements, _This Wideness Comes_ (Twisted Village) -- 1990
_From Russia With Love_ - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (EMI) -- 1963
John McLaughlin, _Devotion_ (Restless) -- 1970
Weezer, _Weezer_ (DGC) -- 1994
Various Artists, _Cognitive Mapping Volume II_ (Friction Media) -- 1995
Meat Beat Manifesto, _99%_ (Mute) -- 1990
Richard Hell & the Voidoids, _Blank Generation_ (Sire/Warner) -- 1977
Monster Magnet, _Dopes To Infinity_ (A&M) -- 1995
Monster Magnet, _Superjudge_ (A&M) -- 1993
Magic Hour, _No Excess Is Absurd_ (Twisted Village) -- 1994
Magic Hour, _Will They Turn You On Or Will They Turn On You_ (Twisted Village) -- 1995
The Fall, _The Frenz Experiment_ (Beggars Banquet/MCA) -- 1988
David Bowie, _The Man Who Sold the World_ (Rykodisc) -- 1972
Aphex Twin, _...I Care Because You Do._ (Sire/Warp) -- 1995
The Tornadoes, _Bustin' Surfboards_ (Sundazed) -- 1964
The Fireballs, _The Fireballs_ (Sundazed) -- 1959 (!)
The Trashmen, _Surfin' Bird_ (Sundazed) -- 1964

--Doug Orleans <dougo AT ccs.neu.edu> (http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/dougo)